Dear Friends,
Hodesh Tov! Tonight begins the month of Elul, approaching Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur 5781, Yamim Nora’im/”Days of Awe” like none other we’ve ever experienced.
On behalf of my fellow clergy and staff, on behalf of our lay leadership and our members, I want to welcome you back to Ansche Chesed. As this video and all its participants convey, we remain a thriving community, dedicated to Jewish life filled with mitzvot, acts of kindness, learning and celebration. Covid may restrict us, but we’re still here. We will be here on-line as long as necessary, and we look forward eagerly to the day when we can gather again in person at shul.
We will be here for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur services. Our program is still developing, but I can assure you now:
- My fellow clergy and I, with participation from members, will live-stream or Zoom every major service during the holidays, to enable everyone to davven as a community and stay maximally safe at home. You won’t have to choose between staying safe and being involved.
- We will enable everyone, if they wish to come out to the shul and the street, to hear the Shofar directly, not through electronic media, on Rosh HaShana.
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We will gather for Tashlich in small groups, both on and after Rosh HaShana.
- We are also planning some brief, relatively small, in-person prayer experiences, while conforming to safety protocols.
- AC’s minyan constituents are developing their own plans for Zoom-based services, and in some cases will include in-person meetings.
This month of Elul is a time for spiritual and communal preparation. Good things rarely happen by accident. To get the most out of important experiences and relationships, you have to prepare. As the Sages said: “The reward matches the effort.” [Pirkei Avot 5.23]
So we at Ansche Chesed want to help you prepare for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur by filling Elul with opportunities for teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah, learning, turning, reflection, meditation, discussion, beauty and good deeds. Every day of Elul will provide an opportunity to ready your soul for the Holidays. Please join us Sunday evening to start the month off right, in which four AC members who were spiritual and medical caregivers during the most terrifying days of the pandemic reflect on their sources for finding hope and compassion during this time. Because we all need hope and compassion for this new year.
Below is a small taste of what we have in store for programming to prepare us for the Yamim Noraim, and for a more complete list of our programming (in formation) please visit our website.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and all your loved ones a New Year of health and safety, love and mercy.
Shana Tova,
Jeremy Kalmanofsky
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Days of Awe Amid Awful Days: Reflections from Covid Caregivers
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We will celebrate the high holidays amidst a global pandemic, unimaginable loss and illness, and massive social disruption. As we approach a new year, we all carry much fatigue, uncertainty, hopelessness and unprocessed grief. To help reflect on those dynamics, please join us for a conversation with AC members who worked on the Covid front lines in NYC hospitals and clinics, nurse Brenda Dore, physician’s assistant Irene Soloway, and Rabbis Mychal Springer and Kara Tav, hospital chaplains. Their reflections can help us address the questions facing us all.
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Creating a Holy Space (Wherever We Are): Making a "Shiviti"
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For centuries Jews have created artwork to emulate G-d, to indicate the direction of prayer and as a means of protection. Join artist Elana Weinberg in this workshop where she will present a brief introduction to the “shiviti” and other Jewish hanging artwork for the home and synagogue (such as mizrachs). Participants will get an overview of how to create a piece like this on your own.
Materials for such artwork range dramatically. For this workshop it is most important to have: Pencils, eraser, tracing paper (or paper one can see through) in order to create a design. If you have drafting paper or grid paper it will be helpful. Also helpful are a compass and ruler. It is recommended to have colored markers and white paper to try out your design. No worries if you don’t have all of these materials.
Once you have completed the design you can decide what medium to choose to complete your piece (paper, fabric, markers, paint… the sky is the limit). Elana will guide you during the workshop. Do not expect to complete your final piece during the workshop, we will focus primarily on the design.
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Hear Our (muted) Voices - Shema Koleynu in the Age of Zoom
Wednesday, August 26 & Tuesday, September 1, 8 & 15 7pm Via Zoom
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The High Holiday liturgy gains power when recited by hundreds of voices in unison. This year the poems, pleas, and praises of our prayers will sound different as we hear them over electronic platforms and recite them to ourselves in our apartments. Join Hazzan Hirschhorn and Rabbi Kalmanofsky to study some classic High Holiday passage, and think together about what they will mean when recited during Covid isolation.
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Let’s Talk About God with Rabbi Hammerman
Thursday, August 27 & September 3, 8pm Via Zoom
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Let’s talk about God: How do you describe the ineffable? How do you capture the intangible? Our High Holiday liturgy tries to do just that by portraying God in many familiar metaphors - as Parent, Sovereign, Creator, Protector, Judge, Shepherd, Potter, and more. Some of these images may resonate with you, while others may make you cringe. Who is the God that you believe in? What is the God that you do not believe in? When and Where do you experience the divine? As we prepare for the Yamim Nora’im this year, let’s discuss these questions, and talk about how YOU understand and experience God.
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Click the button below to see all of our upcoming Elul Programming. |
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